Teams in Chase can now 'practice'

With only two races remaining in the regular season, most teams have shifted their attention to getting ready for the Chase for the Championship rather than making the cut.

Sunday's Emory Health Care 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway and the Sept. 11 race at Richmond International Raceway offer a great opportunity for teams to try out new things before the playoffs start.

Jimmie Johnson's team shifted into the experimental stage several weeks ago. It's the same routine they've used to help win the Sprint Cup Series championship in each of the past four years.

"We've definitely been working on things," Johnson said. "Our program from a mile-and-below and at the road courses this year have been really strong. We've been off on the mile-and-a-half and two-mile tracks.

"We knew then that we needed to go to work and find some speed and we've been working all summer on the big tracks to find it. Not where we want to be yet, but fortunately we still have some time," Johnson added.

"I know the Chase starts (on Sept. 19), but before we get to a mile-and-a-half track in the Chase that counts we have a little bit more time than that. We made some decisions recently on what type of car we want to run, what packages we want to run, and we're committed to our direction at this point moving forward."

Barring an unexpected collapse, the top 11 teams essentially are locked to make the playoffs. While 12th-place Clint Bowyer needs to focus on protecting his 100-point lead over Jamie McMurray for the final playoff spot, everyone else will be looking to get a running start for the Chase.

RUNNING OUT OF REAL ESTATE: Ryan Newman is about out of time to make the Chase field.

Newman is 15th in the standings, 118 points behind Bowyer for the final spot with two races left to qualify for the 12-driver, 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

He finished sixth in the last race at Bristol Motor Speedway and will likely need at least that type of finish -- along with some misfortune from the drivers ahead of him -- to get to 12th. The field well be set after the Sept. 11 race at Richmond.

"It's a legit shot," Newman said, "But it's not the shot we would have preferred."

Newman won in April at Phoenix International Raceway to snap a 77-race Cup winless streak, but has had only five other top-five finishes since. If the pressure is building, Newman won't show it.

"I don't change the way I race because of it. I don't change my approach," Newman said.